The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue - V.E. Schwab

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⭐ 9.0/10

(Originally written by Magdalene)

This was one of the most-anticipated SFF releases of the year, so I was all over this, and it was pretty epic. The main character is Addie LaRue, born in 1600s France in a small village. Her parents are pushing her to get married, so she makes a deal with the Darkness that she will be totally free in exchange for her soul when she decides she's done living. Of course, the Darkness is a wily bastard and twists her words, making her so free that anybody who sees her forgets her as soon as she leaves their sight. Also she's immortal, and is unable to say her name or tell her story. She refuses to give in and let the Devil win, so she lives for more than 300 years, drifting, until to her surprise she meets someone who doesn't forget her.

This audiobook was about 17 hours long, and I can't say how I would've felt reading a physical copy. At the beginning it may feel a little directionless, but once I knew that for a while I'd just be watching her life unfold, I had no problem sticking with it. The story goes back and forth between the year 2014 in New York, when she meets the person who doesn't forget her, and the past, starting with how she ended up making the deal and how she struggles to survive with it afterwards. It's a very emotional premise and in many ways her life is heartbreaking. She's unable to form any bonds with people, since for them, every time she meets them is the first time. But at the same time, she remains delighted with being able to discover new things and experience different parts of the world, and you have to respect her strength as she refuses to give in to the darkness and maintain her will to live. It's a really interesting play on the idea of eternal life, and it questions what makes life worth living.

I didn't love every plot point, but overall I found it thought-provoking and absorbing and full of heart.

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